Games agency Fire Without Smoke snapped up by Keywords Studios

Keywords Studios, the technical services provider to the video games industry, has acquired Fire Without Smoke Ltd for £5.2m from founders Will O’Connor, Michael David Thomson and others.

Headquartered in London and with a studio in Montreal, Fire Without Smoke provides a full suite of creative and marketing services to game publishers and developers.

The agency creates assets such as game trailers, marketing art and materials for esports events, and provides marketing consultancy and general design services to the video game industry.

Founded in 2013 and now with 40 staff between London and Montréal, Fire Without Smoke works with game publishers such as Sony, Square Enix, Riot Games, Deep Silver, Sega, Capcom and Ubisoft.

Will O’Connor will continue as managing director, and the other founders will also remain with the business.

For the year ending 31 May 2018, Fire Without Smoke is expected to have revenues of £2.8m and adjusted profits before tax of £700k.

Andrew Day, CEO of Keywords Studios commented: “Fire Without Smoke’s specialised offering represents an excellent addition to the Group’s existing capabilities and adds some exciting new services to our global service platform.

“Their high end video game trailers expertise will be of great interest to Keywords’ large client base, as will their broad suite of creative services, which range from marketing strategy to providing marketing content for events including esports tournaments, which can play a significant role in influencing the success of event and game launches.

“We are delighted to welcome the talented and passionate teams of Fire Without Smoke to the Keywords family as we continue to build the business in London, in Montreal and in other Keywords locations around the world.”

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